Wristbands to help reunite lost kids with parents on busy beaches

Rescue officer putting a wristband on a child (Picture: Twitter/@Reddingsbrigade). Rescue officer putting a wristband on a child (Picture: Twitter/@Reddingsbrigade)

This year the Dutch Rescue Brigade will again hand out children's wristbands at busy beaches and lakes. Parents can write their phone numbers on the wristbands, making it easier to reunite a lost child with his or her responsible adult, the Telegraaf reports.

The wristbands not only work well when a child gets lost, but also has a preventative effect, a spokesperson for the Rescue Brigade said to the newspaper. "It gives parents and children more awareness of what to do. It is useful if parents tell their children in advance what to do if they lose their parents: go to a lifeguard for example. Or agree on landmarks, a beach pavilion or one of the special poles that are on many beaches for this purpose."

Every summer an average of 775 lost children are reunited with their parents at the Netherlands' beaches and recreational lakes.

Parents can get wristbands for their kids at Rescue Brigade stations on beaches throughout the country. They will also be distributed at several lakes. This action is an initiative of the Dutch Rescue Brigade, television channel Nick Jr. and the National Police.